Accra, Ghana//-Stakeholders have expressed concern about the rising cases of electoral violence in Ghana following the recent revelation that 76 such incidents were recorded in the just conducted 7th December presidential and parliamentary elections.
The stakeholders, mainly members of civil society, expressed these displeasures at a press conference in Accra, where the findings on incidents related to the 2024 elections were announced.
Presenting the findings, the Programmes Manager for Security Sector Governance and Local and Urban Sector Governance at the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Paul Nana Kwabena Aborampah Mensah, revealed: “So far, a total of 76 separate incidents have been recorded related to the 2024 elections”.
Comparing the number of deaths in the previous 2020 elections to that of the just-ended 2024 elections, he said eight people died in the 2020 elections as against six people in the 2024 elections .
Throwing more light on the six death cases in the 2024 elections, Mr Mensah noted that at the Nyankpala lorry station in the Tolon Constituency in the Northern Region, one Haruna Shaibu, a 31-year-old steel bender was shot and killed on the spot.
A 35-year-old Mukila Ziblim died from a gunshot wound he sustained from a stray bullet in the Damongo Constituency in the Savannah Region during the collation.
Also, one person was reported to have died, while another was injured at Kasoa in the Awutu Senya East Constituency in the Central Region.
All these reported deaths were confirmed by personnel of the Ghana Police Service. The police administration issued separate press releases to confirm their deaths and what the police were doing to track down the perpetrators.
Mr Mensah added that out of the 76 incidents, 46 of them were injuries caused to civilians who were engaging in the electoral processes.
“These are persons who were identified and treated, with three in critical conditions. For instance, the Nyakpala incident left Abdul Aziz Wunpini hospitalised, and the Nsawam collation chaos recorded a shooting incident that affected one Richard Taboh in the thigh”, he told the journalists.
Some of the clashes led to serious injuries, and most victims were sent to the hospital for treatment, he emphasised.
Furthermore, there was widespread destruction, seizure, vandalism and invasion of public facilities. A total of 24 cases of such incidents were recorded by the team of researchers and electoral observers.
Ballot papers and pink sheets were destroyed at various collation centres. The Electoral Commission (EC) offices in the Damango and Ayensuano Constituencies in the Savannah and Eastern regions, respectively, were set ablaze.
Actions
The report which was conducted by Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), in partnership with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), under the auspices of the National Elections
Response Group (NERG) and the Coalition for Domestic Elections Observers (CODEO) stated that the police were on top of the 76 electoral violence cases.
One hundred thirty-two suspects so far have been arrested, 45 remanded in custody, 71 on police enquiry bail and 16 on court bail, according to Mr Mensah, who assured that he and his team would provide periodic updates on the incidents.
Methodology
Election Violence Monitoring Desk: CDD-Ghana conducted a desk review of election-related violence cases reported in the media during Ghana’s 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary Elections.
Each case was meticulously reviewed, with priority given to incidents involving deaths, injuries, and damage to properties. Four Election Conflict Monitoring Desk Officers were trained and stationed at CDD-Ghana to conduct an online review of electoral violence cases and verify from CODEO long-term observers within the various constituencies and regions. Special tracking indicators/checklists were provided for the Desk Officers to guide the information-gathering process.
This took place from November 1 to December 6, 2024.
Incident Desk at the CODEO National Information Centre: 17 volunteers were trained for Election Day (December 7, 2024) to manage the CODEO Incidents Desk using the online “Appolo system” to track, collate, follow up, and file reports on all the cases that were reported in the system.
In addition, three volunteers from the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre were also trained and tasked to track all election-related violence cases that were reported in the media.
The CODEO Incidents Desk volunteers also worked closely with Penplusbytes, a media and IT organisation specialising in information verification and dissemination, dedicated to cross-checking and authenticating gathered information.
Post-election Violence Monitoring Desk: The four Violence Monitoring Desk Officers who monitored the pre-election incidents continued their work in the post-election environment and captured all reports after the elections.
Background
To support the process of seeking justice for electoral violence victims, the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), in partnership with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), under the auspices of the National Elections Response Group (NERG) and the Coalition for Domestic Election Observers (CODEO), launched a post-elections security accountability project in 2021, aimed at supporting justice delivery institutions and aiding victims affected by electoral violence in their pursuit of justice.
Although the pilot project ended in February 2022, many cases from the 2020 elections remained unresolved.
The 2024 general elections have also seen a rise in violence and criminal incidents that require the attention of all stakeholders to prioritise and ensure justice for the victims.
